DataShark Network Cable Tester - Cable Mapper, Check Continuity - Test Patch Cords or Installed Cable Runs

I was having all types of problems with my modem/router connection. My interface box contained 5 unlabeled cat 5 cables that spread out thru an interface board to five locations in my home; but I didnt know which went where. New router worked well if direct wired to modem but didnt work thru cat 5 outlet. Tested connectivity of each outlet against each of the five cables leaving interface box with this device enabling me to map and label the interface box to the cat5 outlets. At the same time I was able to determine that one of the cat5 cables had an open number 2 pin. After working on this problem for almost a week I was able to fix it in about a half-hour. Highly recommend it.

Horrible product do not buy

Clever handy tool.

I love this tool. If you make your own cables and do your own wiring, this is an absolutely essential tool. Its not fancy. It simply does what you need it to do, which is validate the wiring order. If you are a professional, you probably want a better, more durable tool with more features, but if you are a home user, this is all you need, and the price is right.

Does exactly what it says it will do.

My apartment is wired for multi-room internet access, but it just wouldnt work. I suspected either I had a bad cable in the mix, or the wiring of the jacks was hosed. So I picked up this tool to find out what the problem was. More on that in a minute. The device comes with a transmitter/receiver (one unit), a smaller receiver, two patch cords and a 9v battery. If you just want to do a quick cable check you can just use the main unit, plug one end into the output, the other into the input and turn it on. It will cycle through all 8 wires, and then repeat until you turn it off. This is very important if you want to put the transmitter in one area and use the small receiver in another. It has a slow speed and a fast speed. You can also test a cable by plugging one end into the output of the main unit and plugging the other end into the small receiver. Same principle - lights are sequentially lit in order from 1 to 8, and you very that the receiver lights come on in the same order. The patch coords are used if you want to check out a network jack. You plug the cord in the transmitter and then into the jack. You can use the other patch coord the same way on the other end of your jack. Easy peasy. So back to my problem. Using this device I found that the wiring in my jack had 2 wires crossed and one wire disconnected. I opened up the outlet, switched the wires and seated the other, and all was good! I now have direct internet access throughout the apartment without having to use wireless. This is important for my DVR video streaming, and works perfectly. Very glad I ordered this unit. In 10 minutes I had my problem solved. Definitely an essential tool to have in the kit.

The first tester sent did not work. A second tester was sent this one also wouldnt work. On both units the power light was on but it wouldnt light the pin out lights. I thought I was improbable to have two bad units sent. I went out and bought a new 9V battery, this fixed the problem. The first tester was more than likely not faulty. If you have a problem, toss the battery that comes with the tester and buy a new one.

This is a reliable tester. It has never mis led me. It is tough, it gets dropped and banged around like most tools, yet it continues to work.

Meter did not work. Wouldnt even test the sample cables provided with the product.

Works great! Helped me find the bad crimp and fix it without having to mess around with something that looks like I should be finding ghost with.Thank you!